Abstract

In this study the results of surgically resected lung cancer at the Chirurgische Klinik I
at Klinikum Ingolstadt from 1985 to 1994 were critically examined. Overall there were
120 patients, 95 men and 25 women, who were included to determine the 5-year sur-vival.
At stage I 64% survived 5 years, at stage II only 20%. We were able to show that
the size of the carcinoma and the nodal status were also independent variables, too.
There was also an influence of the kind of resection and the R-classification on the
results. Survival was not dependent on the histological type nor on the grade of diffe-rentiation.
Comparing men with women there was no difference concerning age, distribution of
tumour and stage, health status, the kind of examinations preoperative, postoperative
complications, adjuvante therapy, cause of death. Squamous cell carcinoma were most
frequent in men whereas in women it was adenocarcinoma. More man had smoked and
suffered from symptoms more often. Over all histological types and all stages the 25
women had a significantly higher 5-year survival rate of 60% in comparison with 31%
for all 95 men.
Examining the quality of life we were able to show that the patient’s activity is connec-ted
with the personal well being independent from other variables. The stage and occur-rence
of metastasis have an influence on a patient’s quality of life. Under the following
patients there are more physically active and feel better then the others: Patients who
have a tumour stage 0 to II and only as well being is concerned patients without occur-rence
of metastasis.
Moreover we examined several symptoms, health status, factors of risk, R- classification,
surgical approach, pre- and postoperative complications, perioperative mortality.
Symptoms were dependent from the location of the tumour and its stage. There was no
influence of the health status and factors of risk on postoperative complications.
However if a complication occurred preoperative there was a higher risk to get a com-plication
postoperative. There was also a higher risk to suffer from pneumonia postope-rative
if a patient already had a pneumonia or an atelectasis preoperative. We had a 23%
complication rate and a 9% mortality rate.